Aw, Below Deck's Dani Soares Confirms Birth Of First Child With Adorable Post

screenshot dani soares below deck sailing yacht
(Image credit: Bravo)

In the recent season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, the brand-new crew has been faced with all kinds of shocks: a COVID-19 scare, back and forth hookups, and even the boat crashing into the dock. Fans are absolutely loving it, but they were more than a little surprised when stewardess Dani Soares announced on April 24 that she was pregnant. Well, buckle up, Bravo fans, because Soares confirmed the birth of her child today in an adorable Instagram post – and aw, it’s a girl!

In Dani Soares’ Instagram announcement of the birth of her child, the Below Deck Sailing Yacht star shared a sweet photo of her newborn girl’s hand grasping her finger. She called her daughter “perfect” and thanked everyone for their support. See her full post here:

A photo posted by on

Also in the post, Dani Soares tagged her Below Deck and Bravo families. A few of the Below Deck Sailing Yacht crew even gushed about the news. Alli Dore called her “super mum,” and Sydney Zaruba congratulated her. Even Captain Glen wrote a sweet note to his former stewardess, saying, “OMG Congratulations Dani, I’m so proud of you.”

Many have wondered if the father of the baby is indeed Dani Soares’ co-star Jean-Luc Cerza-Lanaux, who she started a romance with while filming this past season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht. Cerza-Lanaux has been particularly quiet on the subject and has yet to comment on the announcement of the birth. In the past, Soares hasn’t confirmed or denied the speculation but stated a few weeks ago to US Weekly:

I understand that people are curious about it, and I understand that I’m on a TV show and everybody wants to know. I just don’t think it’s anybody’s business right now.

Dani Soares’ new baby at least has another Below Deck baby that she very may well call a friend one day. Franchise alum and fan favorite Hannah Ferrier, who gave birth to her daughter last November, appeared to indicate to US Weekly that Soares was pregnant alone and that she was able to offer her fellow Below Deck alum support during this “really scary time.”

Below Deck Sailing Yacht’s second season has been a bit of doozy for fans. This is mostly because of the love triangle still brewing between Gary King, Sydney Zaruba and Alli Dore. As Below Deck alum Kate Chastain shadily put it: “It’s like they’re square dancing on that sailing yacht.” The drama doesn’t stop there, either. Dani Soares threatened to quit the boat in last week’s episode after Jean-Luc Cerza- Lanaux, her boatmance, revealed that he thought he had an STD.

It looks as though Dani Soares doesn’t need to really deal with boat drama anymore, just the kind that cries and wants a diaper change. Catch the rest of Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2 on Bravo on Mondays at 10 p.m. EST!

Lauren Vanderveen
Movies and TV News Writer

Freelance writer. Favs: film history, reality TV, astronomy, French fries.